MANILA, December 24, 2009 (AFP) - Three bodies have been recovered hours after two boats collided in the Philippines early Thursday, the coast guard said.

The body of a woman wearing a life jacket was retrieved by rescuers after a passenger vessel collided with a fishing boat in the darkness in Manila Bay during the busy Christmas rush.

Two other bodies were seen floating near where the passenger vessel, the Catalyn B, sank, coast guard spokesman Commander Armando Balilo said.